Charli D’Amelio Speaks Out On TikTok Ban As A Leading Influencer

Influencer Charli D’Amelio, one in every of TikTok’s most distinguished stars, reached out to followers with a lighthearted message after the platform went offline in the US on January 18.

D’Amelio’s journey started in 2019 when she posted her first TikTok, a lip-sync video with a good friend. Her recognition skyrocketed after she shared a duet video with one other TikTok consumer later that yr.

By 2020, Charli D’Amelio turned the primary particular person to achieve 100 million followers on the platform and is now price an estimated $45 million.

Turning to Instagram, the place she boasts 42 million followers, D’Amelio posted a brief video addressing the TikTok ban, “Hey, reels, how we doing?” Smiling, she began to say, “We’re right here,” earlier than the video reduce off.

The caption was easy however resonant, “Hey.” She additionally shared the video as a Fb reel, the place she has over 2 million followers.

Charli’s father, Marc D’Amelio, has been a vocal advocate for TikTok, calling the ban “un-American” and a violation of free speech. “It’s so un-American for our authorities to ban one thing that has been such an vital a part of the common American citizen’s life — having a platform totally free speech, and defending our First Modification rights,” he mentioned, per The Times.

Marc later expressed concern over the potential long-term influence on his daughters’ careers and the hundreds of thousands of customers who depend on TikTok for neighborhood, expression, and livelihood.

D’Amelio joined TikTok in mid-2019 and shortly gained consideration along with her dance routines.

Her first viral video featured the “Renegade” dance, which helped popularize the routine and established her as one in every of TikTok’s high dancers. Her success additionally got here on the excellent time, as TikTok’s algorithm favored participating quick movies, which her dance clips completely suited.

She made historical past in November 2020 when she turned the primary TikTok creator to achieve 100 million followers, cementing her standing as one of many platform’s most distinguished stars.

Past TikTok, she explored different inventive avenues, similar to music, releasing her debut single, “If You Ask Me To,” in 2022. She additionally gained Season 31 of “Dancing with the Stars.”

Charli and her household capitalized on their collective fame with “The D’Amelio Present” on Hulu, providing a behind-the-scenes have a look at their lives. In response to the Financial Instances, D’Amelio is the second hottest TikTok influencer, with 155.8 million followers, trailing Senegalese-Italian creator Khabane Lame, who has 162 million.

TikTok turned unavailable to customers in the US on Saturday night, simply hours earlier than a regulation banning the platform was anticipated to enter impact. When customers tried to entry the app, they had been met with a pop-up message stating, “A regulation banning TikTok has been enacted.”

This improvement follows a ruling by the Supreme Courtroom on Friday, which upheld the ban and rejected a free speech problem filed by TikTok. The corporate subsequently issued a press release confirming its plans to make the app inaccessible to U.S. customers by the said deadline.

The ban stems from laws signed by President Joe Biden in April, requiring TikTok to divest from its Chinese language possession and promote to a U.S.-based firm. Failure to conform would consequence within the app’s shutdown within the U.S. Nevertheless, the Biden administration indicated that enforcement of the ban can be managed by the incoming Trump administration.

President-elect Donald Trump addressed the state of affairs throughout a telephone interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker on Saturday. He advised that TikTok would possibly obtain a 90-day reprieve from the potential ban, stating he would “most definitely” take that step.

The ban has sparked widespread mourning amongst American TikTok customers, who’ve relied on the platform as a cornerstone of web tradition. For hundreds of thousands, TikTok was not simply an leisure app however an area for creativity, neighborhood, and cultural trade. The abrupt shutdown has left many customers unsure about the way forward for their on-line presence and connections shaped by way of the platform.

Because the U.S. authorities weighs the potential ban, the D’Amelios and hundreds of thousands of TikTok customers await the Supreme Courtroom’s determination, which may set a precedent for the platform’s position in American digital tradition and free speech rights.